a little wild, always adventurous

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Jewelry designer

I can’t believe it has been over a year since I last posted! So many things to attend to. I have been overwhelmed!

Not only does it take time to make jewelry…it takes time to photograph, edit photos, load up on etsy, write copy, research SEO, come up with snazzy social media posts, do laundry, clean the house…and find time to exercise and cook healthy meals.

A few things have been laying under dust and cobwebs.

So I’m dusting off our web page and will share some of my outer and inner adventures!

We did have a wonderful 2018/2019 holiday season! We spent Christmas in San Francisco, as well as my birthday!! It felt like this:

A friend gave me my first EVER Barbie doll. I named her Elana!

After some great San Francisco adventures, my thinking about things began…

The thinking ball began to roll when I saw this quote: (big apologies to the originator of this quote…I am happy give you credit if I knew who you are!!!)

I printed this quote up and put it up in my kitchen…a place I am guaranteed to visit multiple times a day!! Keywords are “support” and “create”. The more I thought about what supported me…the more I realized where I wasn’t supported.

I found little “support”. That is… “support” from other professionals. I was surprised as to how much I was to do to look like everyone else. To comfortably fit in. Be trendy. Isn’t that interesting…how comfortable and trendy go together? Yes they do.

Trendy is what everyone thinks they need in order to fit in. And trends are always changing. Rapidly. One could go broke trying to keep up with trends…as an artist AND a consumer.

I am not interested in that.

Then there is social media AND ALL THE FREAKIN’ RULES that go with it. It isn’t just take a picture and post content… did you know there are best times to post and if I REALLY want to be seen, I must pay money. Everything is monetized. I don’t have a budget for advertising. Or, like the doomed Fyre Festival…get an influencer to post about me.

Again, no interest.

So many soul-sucking “rules”!

Rules for taking pictures. Crisp white background with little “noise” in the background. Make studio shots look like I work in a light and airy studio. Make videos! Make sure I have make-up on! Look professional! Make sure my nails are done in shots where my hands are seen. Hello? Metalsmiths do not have pretty nails. Bonus points: I have contact dermatitis and my hands NEVER look pretty! Studios are usually messy, full of creative clutter, and may or may not be light and airy. As much as I love the magazine “Where Women Create”… the pictures may not be terribly accurate. Most artists that I know that have seen the magazine love the pictures, but then laugh; “my studio NEVER has looked like that…!!!” Love that magazine. Use the pictures for my vision board…

Rules for what I make. I have been told that my work looks dirty and unattractive to the “professionals”. Well, huh. Then why do I always sell out and am scrambling to make more?

I was finding myself mentally screaming at many “professionals” in my head: WHO THE HECK ARE YOU AND STOP TELLING ME HOW I SHOULD BE!

I mean really… if I want to design a necklace without a clasp… then I will… because those with arthritis appreciate that they do not have to deal with a lobster claw! Women have thanked me for this design choice! They can take a pretty beaded bracelet and just wrap it around their wrist without dealing with a pesky clasp. They can put a necklace on, and just pull it over their head without a pesky clasp. I use titanium ear wires so people with sensitivities to metal can actually wear fun earrings. I am always THINKING about what I am doing and consider many things.

Somewhere in all of this I realized… I was ignoring my own creative heart and listening to people who had no idea who I am or what I have to offer.

The two pictures I choose for this post are telling.

I am spending a lot of time unraveling and letting go of all things that do not light my creative fire. I am paying attention to jewelry artists who have ignored the rules and have become highly successful because they have been true to their he/art. I am ignoring the professionals who tell me my pictures are dark and my work looks dirty. I am ignoring the store and gallery owners who tell me how I should make things.

I am reaching in to my own heart and looking for what supports me. I am actively creating the life I want and not the life the media/professionals tell me I should want.

I have noticed…I am happier. I am having a lot more fun.

Our one purpose in this life is to thrive. It is so much more fun to thrive.

Spaces are organized, taxes are done and ideas are rampant. I was doodling last night and came up with some designs that do not fit in at all with my usual work. I have no idea what to do with these ideas. Slowly develop and implement? I don’t know. We have had some critiques that we do not have a cohesive look…no “branding”…and one particular individual ‘could not help us’ because of this lack of look/branding.

I have been caught up in that person’s idea of how an artist should behave. “Have this look that we all can recognize and do videos and join here and raise money there and post here and don’t forget to do these other things… ”

All of these “to-do’s” takes me further and further away from actually designing and MAKING art.

I lost my passion for making art in the pursuit of finding my “look.”

My metal smithing instructor told me that I had the capacity to shoot off in 500 different directions, and be successful at any of them.

And so why not?

By far the most important thing you need in the toolkit is an intense passion

for your cause that can not be hindered by critics or your own shortcomings.

You have to be willing to give it your all, and for a long time with potentially few

rewards. In the short run, few people will notice, but in the long run, everyone will.

Or at least, everyone you need to influence in your campaign will notice.

(Chris Guillebeau)

I get more excited when I envision “Kewish Designs” with different “departments.” There are pieces for the holidays, pieces that reflect the natural world, pieces that are silly, pieces that reflect a world of enchantment, pieces that trigger a spiritual thought… WHY NOT?

I sat down one night and studied the work of a very successful jewelry artist/company. While, yes, there is an overall cohesiveness of her work – due to materials – the theme of her designs are all over the place.

When all is said and done, my favorite moment in the creation process is the participation of the observer/customer. That moment of “the gasp” or the laughter…

The moment of emotional connection.

THAT is the only thing that is really important to me.

I have this Post-It at my desk;

Only I can answer these questions. This is the beginning of inspiration. This is where the heart of the matter lies. There is no one else involved. Except, later, a customer that connects with my work.

And my work just may be all over the place. That just may be my brand.